trans-Bergamotenes-male pheromone of the ectoparasitoid Melittobia digitata

The first male-produced sex attractant pheromone in the parasitic Hymenoptera has been identified. The elaborate courtship behavior of Melittobia digitata, an idiobiont that parasitizes the last larval instar or the pupal stage of solitary bees and wasps, involves a series of coordinated movements o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of chemical ecology 2002-08, Vol.28 (8), p.1675-1689
Main Authors: CONSOLI, Fernando L, WILLIAMS, Howard J, VINSON, S. Bradleigh, MATTHEWS, Robert W, COOPERBAND, Miriam F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Diptera - metabolism
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Insects
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Mass Spectrometry
Pheromones
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Sesquiterpenes - chemistry
Sesquiterpenes - metabolism
Sex Attractants - chemistry
Sex Attractants - metabolism
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Summary:The first male-produced sex attractant pheromone in the parasitic Hymenoptera has been identified. The elaborate courtship behavior of Melittobia digitata, an idiobiont that parasitizes the last larval instar or the pupal stage of solitary bees and wasps, involves a series of coordinated movements of legs, wings, and antennae, initiated after the female is attracted to the blind, flightless male. We identified alpha- and beta-trans-bergamotene as the active compounds of the male M. digitata sex attractant. Variation in the release of the sex pheromone by males and the pheromone load during aging is also described.
ISSN:0098-0331
1573-1561
DOI:10.1023/A:1019940932605